UK sports minister outlines review of offshore casino operators
Posted by Gavin Smith on 07 May 2009 at 08:05
The UK's sports minister has spoken of his department's plans to review rules for Britain's overseas-based gambling firms.
Gerry Sutcliffe gave details of a joint plan from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Gambling Commission which will investigate the fairness of sector.
It will look into ways of evening out the landscape for British-based companies and operators based offshore.
Targets of the review include higher contributions from overseas firms towards regulatory costs, gambling addiction treatment and horseracing via the Horserace Betting Levy. It will also check that offshore firms are sticking to conditions brought in by the Gambling Act, aimed at protecting consumers.
Quoted by Intergameonline.com, Mr Sutcliffe said: "Technology has evolved at an incredible pace and online gambling has changed significantly since the Gambling Act was passed.
"Now is the right time to take stock of developments in Europe and elsewhere to make sure our regulatory system is as fair and robust as possible for all operators able to advertise their services in the UK."
As part of the review, experts, including those from the remote gambling sector, will be consulted before the final report goes before Parliament later this year.
